How reliable is handwriting analysis in court, according to examiner John Osborne?

Forensic document examiner John Osborne says handwriting comparison is more subjective than many people realize, and its accuracy depends on following standards, training and experience. He says a note in all capitals on a paper bag, like the one in the Faith Hedgepeth case, is very difficult to compare. Proper specimen collection takes an hour and a half to three hours or more, not a few lines on one sheet.

• Osborne says writing produced on request for comparison is the least desirable kind of sample.
• The Sante and Kenneth Kimes prosecution collected six hours of writing in several sittings.
• Injury, illness and age can all change a person's handwriting over time.

▸In their words

“It makes it very, very difficult to do.” John Osborne · at 33:56 — open in the transcript →

Source: our own transcription of the episode. The full conversation is on Dateline NBC (2026-10-29). Read the whole episode summary →

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